Suicidal man survives jump from 11th floor in Japan, could now be tried for murder

A man in Japan who jumped from the 11th floor of a building to kill himself could now be charged with murder. Shinsei Taguchi tried to take his own life with a grave step in Nagoya's Sakae district, but ended up falling on top of a 23-year-old woman who died, while he managed to survive. Tomoki Inaba's father is now demanding that the 29-year-old man be charged with the murder of his daughter.

Tomoki suffered hemorrhagic shock after Taguchi fell onto her on July 19. The woman was treated at the hospital but passed away hours later. Local news outlet Tokyo Reporter reported that Taguchi survived and was admitted to the hospital. After he was discharged in August, the police arrested him on suspicion of gross negligence resulting in death.

TBS News reported that the man is being assessed by psychiatrists to ascertain whether he could be held criminally responsible for the incident. Tomoki's father, Kenji Inaba, wants him to be tried for murder, claiming that he visited him thrice at the detention centre, where he admitted that he was aware his jump from the 11th floor could also kill someone else.

Speaking to news outlet TV Asahi, Kenji said that the man told him, "I'm sorry for what happened to your precious daughter." "But honestly, anyone could say that," Kenji said. He asked the man, "You jumped thinking you didn't care if there were people below, or if they lived or died, right?" to which he replied, "Yes, that's right."

Kenji said, "He jumped without caring if he took someone with him. I absolutely cannot accept this being brushed off as an accident." He wants the prosecutors to charge the man with murder, as he knew that there were several people in the busy Sakae district, "and therefore the risk of taking a life."

Meanwhile, Taguchi has reportedly claimed to have no memory of the incident. Tomoki's family has urged investigators to scrutinise his claim and not let him get away with killing their daughter.

Petition for murder charges has 45,000 signatures

Kenji started a petition asking for harsher punishment for the man, and has collected more than 45,000 signatures. "Even if the suspect jumped with the intention of taking his own life, he should have understood that jumping from a high-rise building in a busy entertainment district could result in him striking and killing someone below," the petition states. It adds that the justice system should "confront the gravity of a human life and ensure that our daughter’s death is not dismissed as merely an ‘unfortunate accident.'"